Trenching-machine



J. C. FRENCH.

TRENCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 28. 1914.

1,377,333. I Patented May 10,1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

J. C. FRENCH.

TRENCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.28. 1914.

Patented May 10, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. FRENCH, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERTICK C. AUSTIN,

' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

'rnnnomnsmacnmn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lway 10, 1921.

Application filed September 28, 1914. Serial No. 863,854.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JAMES C. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States of America, and residentvof Kenosha, Kenosha county, Wlsconsin, (510 Exchange street,) have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in in is a specification.

lVly invention relates to trenching machines of that kind in which a movable beam is provided with an endless series of buckets for cutting the trench while the machine moves slowly forward in the well known manner. 1

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide a trenching machine which will out either a wide or a narrow trench without the necessity of changing or removin the buckets thereof.

ore specifically considered, the object of my invention is to provide a machine of this kind having cutters for producing a trench which is wider than the buckets, but which are removable when it is desired to cut a narrower trench, and which are shaped or formed in such manner that each cutter discharges the 'dirt into the path of the buckets, the said cutters being arranged in two parallel series at opposite sidesof the endless series of buckets;

It is also an object to provide certain details and novel features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efiiciency and desirability of a trenching machine of this particular character. To the foregoing and other useful-ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed. In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of'the lower end portion of the digging beam and endless series of excavating buckets of a trenching machine embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig.2 is an enlarged front elevation of one of said buckets, showing the two cutters or. auxiliary buckets disposed at opposite sides thereof, this vlew being in the nature of an enlarged section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an outer side elevation, on a larger scale, of the left hand cutter shown in Fig. 2, showing the adjacent portions of the link belt to which said cutter is secured.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged detail view of one of the buckets and the two cutters therefor,

Trenching-Machines, of which thefollowlooking in the direction of the arrows of the line 4- 4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the trench cut by said bucketsand cutters, showing the shoulders formed by the cutters at opposite sides of the bottom of the trench.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the shape of the trench when the said cutters or auxiliary buckets are not used.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a digging beam A of any suitable character, it being customary to support this beam for up and down movement at the rear .end of the trenching machine, whereby the beam swings about a horizontal axis disposed at or near its upper end, and the said axis extending transversely of the ditch. Sprockets (not shown) are provided at the upper end of the beam and rotary supports B at the lower end of said beam, and a pair of link belts C are arranged to travel. around said sprockets and members. The excavating buckets D are removably secured to the links of said belts, by means of ears-or lugs 03 insertedbetween the links, the buckets.

serving to space the two belts the proper distance. apart at intervals along the latter. These buckets are preferably open at their upper or inner sides al but have rounded or curved bottom or outer walls d which face the inclined surface X upon which the buckets operate as they travel upward. Each bucket is also provided with teeth or cutters d for pulverizing or tearing up the soil. The angle at which the buckets travel upwardly is sufficient to prevent the loose dirt from falling out of the rear end of each bucket, and the load is dumped when the bucket turns upside down at the upper end of the beam, in the usual and well known manner.

The construction thus far described is capable of cutting a trench which in cross section is like the one shown in Fig. '6, this trench being practically no wider than the buckets. It is sometimes desirable, however, to cut a wider trench, and for this purpose cutters or auxiliary buckets E are provided and attached to the belts C at points between the buckets D, whereby a relatively wide trench of the kind shown in Fig. 5 may be produced when necessary or desirable. Referring to Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive, it will be seen that each cutter E is shaped somewhat like a bucket, being formed with a for ward cutting edge'e', an outer or bottom wall 6 that extends rearward to the rear edge e of the cutter, and having side walls e and e, whereby each cutter tapers rear- 5 wardly when viewed from the side, as shownin Fig. 33, causing the dirt to be thrown into the plane of the upwardly traveling p01 tions of the link belt. When viewed from above, as shown in Fig. 4,- it will be seen that the outer wall 6 curves inwardly to--. ward the rear, thus causing the di to be thrown inwardly toward the adjacent link belt. Also, and in order that thedirt loosened up by the cutter E may be thrown directly into the path of the upwardly traveling buckets D the walls 6 and c are" formed with a rear edge e which extends at an angle to the front ed e e, and also at an an' Is to the wall e and t e adjacent link belt, t e effect being to provide the cutter E witha rear opening 6 for discharging the dirt inwardly and directly into the path of" the excavatingbuckets. Each cutter E' has its wall 6 provided with a shank or attach ing portion e" which is removably secured in any suitable manner, but rigidly of course, 'betweenthe links of the adjacent belt.- Thus the cutters E extend laterally at each side of the endless series of excavating buckets D, therebyproducing a treneh which is wider than said buckets;-but as these cutters or auxiliary buckets E are prefenably smaller than the buckets D, and do buckets D, in the manner described. Whenit is desired to cut a trench-of the character shown in Fig. 6, the cutters E are detached from thelink belts.

- From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provide a trenching mab chine having provisions f for forming relatively wide and narrow trenches, and that the change from one width of trench to the other is accomplished without removing or changing theexcavating buckets.

Thus the trench is, in effect, composed of three parallel channels, the middle channel being cut by thebuckets D, and the two outside channels being cut by the scoop-shaped cutters E, and one channel mergin into the other to form the entire Width of t e trench.

It is an important consideration, it will be seen, that the front end of the auxiliary cutter E is some distance behind the front end of the link C to which it is attached, 66 as 1n the y e cu er s pu led at its their rear-ends to discharge inwardly and front end, or dragged, so to speak,i'n a'mann'er that is more satisfactory than would be the 'case if the cutter was secured at its rear end to the chain, or even connected at its middle portion to the link belt, as in such 70 casethe front end of the cutter would ex-' tend ahead of the-point of attachment on the chain. Moreover, the'cutters E discharge the. dirt at their rear ends, and these rear ends can swing away from the link belts while the latter are-traveling around the sprocket wheels, so that both the buckets and the auxiliary cutters are adapted to discharge the dirt from-their rear ends.

What I claim as my invention is 1. An excavator tomprising laterally spaced endless chains, main excavating elements mounted between the chains, scoopshaped auxiliary excavating elements car- 'ried by the chainsbetween which the first- I mentioned excavating :elements are mount-- ed, said auxiliary excavating elements .being open at their rear ends to discharge in wardly and projecting laterally from the sides of the chains and working beyond the sides of the: first-mentioned excavating elements.

2. An excavator comprising laterally spaced endless chams,.m'a1n excavatlng ele i ments mounted between the chains, auxiliary excavating elements carried by the chainsbetween: which the first-mentioned excavating elements are mounted, said aux ili'ary excavating elements being open at' projecting laterally from the sides of the chains and working beyond the sides ofthe first-mentioned excavating elements and' said auxiliary excavating elements being scoop shaped and comprising a bottom hav- 1 )5 ing sides and a back, a shank extending from the top of theinner side and fitting between adjacent chain links, and fasteners passing through therebetween. e

.3. An excavator comprising laterally spaced endless chains, main excavating ele-' ments mounted between the'chains, scoop shaped auxiliary excavating elements carried by the chains between which the first .115 mentioned excavating elements are mounte said links and the shank 'ed, said auxiliary excavating elements being open 'at their rear ends and at their inner sides to discharge the dirt directly into the path of' the main excavatingelements, and rojecting laterally from the sides of the c ains and working beyond the sides of the first mentionedexcavating elements.

4. Anexcavator comprising .laterally spaced endless chains, main excavating ele-; ments mounted between the chains, auxiliary excavating elements carriedv by the chains between which .the first mentioned 'excavet gsl me ts a e m u e d a -i1iary"excavating'- elements being open at their rear ends and at their inner sides to discharge the dirt directly into the path of the main excavating, elements and project- .5 -ing laterally from the sides of the chains and working beyond the sides of the first mentioned excavating elements,'- and being scoop-shaped andcomprising a bottom hav ,ing sides and a back, a shank extending 10 from the top of the inner side and fitting .therebetween.

Signedby me at, Chicago, Illinois, this 12th day of September, 1914.

JAMES c. FRENCH.

' Witnesses MARY E. CotreiarLAN, RAOHEL J. RIGHABDSON. 

